Nutritional benefits

Pasture-raised chicken provides greater nutrition – ‘you are what you eat, eats’, after all, as Michael Pollansays. To learn more about this, check out these resources:

Overall, poultry meat quality is affected by the genetics, diet, age at slaughter, exercise, soil microbial activity, how much pasture grass they ingest, and how well-adapted they are to living outdoors.

One study in Poland examined moisture, protein and fat content found that slower growing chickens raised with access to pasture grass:

Had higher protein content and a lower fat content of breast meat.

The meat was richer in colour and had a better water-holding capacity.

Another study from the US by the American Pastured Poultry Producers Association found that, in addition to similar findings above, the pasture-raised chickens were higher in vitamins D3 and E.